Global Media Seminar Class code MCC-UE 9456 – 001 Instructor Sacha Molitorisz Details [email protected] Consultations by appointment Please allow at least 24 hours for your instructor to respond to your emails. Class Details Spring 2017 Global Media Seminar Wednesday 9:00am – 12:00pm February 1 to May 10 Room 302 NYU Sydney Academic Centre Science House: 157-161 Gloucester Street, The Rocks 2000 Prerequisites None Class This course examines the fast-changing landscape of global media. Historical and theoretical Description frameworks will be provided to enable students to approach the scope, disparity and complexity of current developments. These frameworks will be supplemented with the latest news and developments. In short, we ask: what is going on in the hyperlinked and hyper- turbulent realm of blogs, Buzzfeed and The Sydney Morning Herald? Key issues examined include: shifts in patterns of production, distribution and consumption; the implications of globalisation; the disruption of established information flows and emergence of new information channels; the advent of social media; the proliferation of mobile phones; the ethics and regulation of modern media; the rise of celebrity culture; the demise (?) of privacy; the entertainment industry and its pirates; Edward Snowden and the NSA; and the irrepressible octogenarian Rupert Murdoch. The focus will be international, with an emphasis on Australia. Ultimately, the course will examine the ways in which global communication is undergoing a paradigm shift, as demonstrated by the Arab spring and its uncertain legacy, as well as the creeping dominance of Google, Facebook and Twitter. In other words Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore. Page 1 of 14 Global Media Seminar Desired By the end of the course, students will be able to: Outcomes • demonstrate a critical understanding of the complexity and diversity of the Australian media landscape in its historical and global contexts. • analyse the changing nature of media power, media ethics and information flows. • evaluate emerging trends in media production, distribution and consumption and their impact on the concepts of place, time, culture and identity. Assessment Class Presentation and Paper: 30% (10% first reading presentation; 20% written paper) Components Class Participation: 30% (10% general participation; 10% written responses to readings; 10% second reading presentation) Final Research Paper: 40% Class Presentation and Paper: In Weeks 2 to 7, each student will lead a presentation and discussion of approximately 10 minutes, based on the set readings. This presentation should focus on in-depth analysis of specific concepts, issues and examples relevant to the class, and should involve the promotion of active class discussion. Students will submit a 1000-word paper in class the week after they have presented, on a topic relevant to their presentation. Class Participation: Students are expected to demonstrate thoroughness in their preparation for, and engagement with, the course. This is a seminar subject and requires active participation. It also requires respectful and engaged discussion, including listening to and respecting other points of view. Students will be required to contribute to building a classroom environment that fosters mutual respect for all students and staff. For each class, students will prepare a summary of each reading, including a response to the question, “Why is this reading on the syllabus?” Students will then be called on without notice to give a short oral presentation of their summary. Students will also be assigned to give class presentations. Each student will give a total of two class presentations during the course. The second reading presentation will contribute to the class participation mark. No paper is required after the second presentation. Final Research Paper (due Week 15): A 3000-word final research paper on a topic chosen by the student based on key concepts and topics from the course. Students are required to demonstrate their critical thinking, analysis and evaluation skills and to provide a rationale for the choice of topic by situating it in the literature that has been covered in class and/or in other readings pertinent to their particular focus. Students are expected to apply their analysis to specific, carefully selected case studies and examples. Students need to provide a topic proposal of one paragraph by Week 9 (or sooner) and have it approved by the Professor. Failure to submit or fulfill any required course component will result in failure of the class. For this course your total numerical score, calculated from the components listed above, is Page 2 of 14 Global Media Seminar converted to a letter grade without rounding. Assessment Grade A: Excellent performance showing a thorough knowledge and understanding of the Expectations topics of the course; all work includes clear, logical explanations, insight, and original thought and reasoning. Creative work is of a highly sophisticated standard. Grade B: Good performance with general knowledge and understanding of the topics; all work includes general analysis and coherent explanations showing some independent reasoning, reading and research. Creative work is of a superior standard. Grade C: Satisfactory performance with some broad explanation and reasoning; the work will typically demonstrate an understanding of the course on a basic level. Creative work is of an acceptable standard. Grade D: Passable performance showing a general and superficial understanding of the course’s topics; work lacks satisfactory insight, analysis or reasoned explanations. Creative work is of a basic standard. Grade F: Unsatisfactory performance in all assessed criteria. Creative work is weak, unfinished or unsubmitted. Grade This course uses the following scale of numerical equivalents to letter grades: Conversions A 94 to 100 A- 90 to < 94 B+ 87 to < 90 B 84 to < 87 B- 80 to < 84 C+ 77 to < 80 C 74 to < 77 C- 70 to < 74 D+ 67 to < 70 D 65 to < 67 F 0 to < 65 Submission of Should work be submitted as a hard copy, or electronically? Work Unless otherwise specified, all written work must be submitted as a hard copy. The majority of written assignments must also be submitted electronically via NYU Classes. All in-class presentations must be completed during class time. Who may submit a student’s work? Each student’s assigned work must be handed in personally by that student. The student may not nominate another person to act on his/her behalf. Page 3 of 14 Global Media Seminar When and where should the work be submitted? The hard copy of any written work must be submitted to the instructor at the beginning of class on the date the work is due. If the assignment due date falls outside of class time, work must be submitted to the Staff Member on duty in Room 2.04 during prescribed Office Hours (11:30am-12:30pm and 2:30-3:30pm Mon-Thu), or by appointment with the Academic Programs Coordinator. Each submitted item of work received in Room 2.04 will be date and time stamped in the presence of the student. Work submitted in Room 2.04 will not be considered “received” unless formally stamped. What is the Process for Late Submission of Work? After the due date, work may only be submitted under the following conditions: • Late work, even if an extension has been granted, must be submitted in person by appointment with the Academic Programs Coordinator. Each submitted item of work must be date and time stamped in order to be considered “received”. • Work submitted after the submission time without an agreed extension receives a penalty of 2 points on the 100-point scale (for the assignment) for each day the work is late. Written work submitted beyond five weekdays after the submission date without an agreed extension receives a mark of zero, and the student is not entitled to feedback for that piece of work. • Because failure to submit or fulfil any required course component will result in failure of the course, it is crucial for students to submit every assignment even when it will receive a mark of zero. Early departure from the program therefore places the student at risk of failing the course. Plagiarism The academic standards of New York University apply to all coursework at NYU Sydney. NYU Policy Sydney policies are in accordance with New York University’s plagiarism policy. The presentation of another person’s words, ideas, judgment, images or data as though they were your own, whether intentionally or unintentionally, constitutes an act of plagiarism. It is a serious academic offense to use the work of others (written, printed or in any other form) without acknowledgement. Cases of plagiarism are not dealt with by your instructor. They are referred to the Director, who will determine the appropriate penalty (up to and including failure in the course as a whole) taking into account the codes of conduct and academic standards for NYU’s various schools and colleges. Attendance Study abroad at Global Academic Centres is an academically intensive and immersive Policy experience, in which students from a wide range of backgrounds exchange ideas in discussion-based seminars. Learning in such an environment depends on the active participation of all students. And since classes typically meet once or twice a week, even a single absence can cause a student to miss a significant portion of a course. To ensure the integrity of this academic experience, class attendance at the centres is mandatory, and Page 4 of 14 Global Media Seminar unexcused absences will affect students' semester grades. The class roster will be marked at the beginning of class and anyone who arrives after this time will be considered absent. Students are responsible for making up any work missed due to absence. For courses that meet once a week, one unexcused absence will be penalised by a two percent deduction from the student’s final course grade.